Watching Thomas on the stage, fresh from federal prison, theatrically pleading for redemption was one of the eeriest meta moments in the history of New Orleans theater. Theater anywhere, maybe.

The play was scheduled to run for two weekends, but demand for tickets inspired Bean to extend the run to six. A month or two later, after allowing time for a previously scheduled show to run its course, the impresario added six more weeks of “Reflections” dates.

Now, Bean said, the time is ripe for a reprise.

“The man is still a well-loved figure here in the city,” Bean said of Thomas. “He’s almost like a personality, a celebrity, if you will, and people are interested in what Oliver Thomas is thinking and what he’s doing. And that’s why we had to come up and do this again.”

Oliver Thomas reprises autobiographical play Reflections2Former New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas, who plead guilty to a bribery charge in 2007 and was imprisoned, scored a meta hit with his autobiographical play 'Reflections: A Man and His Time' at Anthony Bean Community Theater in 2011. Now, Thomas is back with a revised version of the play 'Reflections2: Oliver Thomas, Off Probation; Ready to Talk,' with performances April 11-13, 18-19 and 25-27. Watch as Thomas and the ABC company rehears the play 12 days before opening. For more information go to anthonybeantheater.com. For a review of the 2011 play, search for 'Oliver Thomas stars in play about his political downfall at Anthony Bean Theater.'

“Reflections,” which was co-written by Bean and Thomas, has changed somewhat, Bean said. In “Reflections2: Oliver Thomas, Off Probation and Ready to Talk,” audiences will meet the character of a journalist/biographer who explicitly sets the scenes for those whose memories may have dimmed as he lends a sense of historicity to Thomas's recollections.

Former State Senator and City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis and former New Orleans School Board President Gail Glapion have become part of the cast, playing themselves. The two women share a scene in which they offer Thomas advice and support on the courthouse steps in his time of crisis, according to Bean. Life goes on, they counsel, and Thomas still has plenty to offer his community, even if his career is in shambles.

There are also details blended into the dialog that may or may not alter the audience’s view of past events. For instance, Thomas claims that the man he bribed was a distant relative, a fact that adds to his beleaguered character’s sense of distrust. Thomas, who was a rising star in the New Orleans political pantheon in the early 21st century, took $15,000 in bribes from Stan "Pampy" Barre, a former cop who coveted a city parking lot contract.

Thomas, who discussed the play after a recent rehearsal, is also quick to point out that the 2013 scandals in the U.S. prosecutor’s office may lead audience members to feel a bit less judgmental about his fall from grace.

Reflections2: Oliver Thomas, Off Probation; Ready to Talk

What: An autobiographical play, starring the former City Councilman who plead guilty to a charge of bribery and was sent to federal prison.

Where: Anthony Bean Community Theater, 1333 S. Carrollton Ave.

When: April 11-13, 18-19 and 25-27; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and Sunday matinees at 3.

“One of the things I really love about the script that has come together (is that it addresses) the trappings of power," Thomas said, leaning forward in a gold-colored folding chair. "The message is about how good people get caught up in the system and about how the system doesn’t really care who you are. It feeds off your mistakes and it’s never sated. It’s always looking for people to eat. And now we know how corrupt the Justice Department and the system is. So that’s ironic, because it’s hard for a corrupt entity to fight corruption. It’s hard for there to be justice if the people who mete out justice are unjust. Hopefully what we’ve done is shed some light on that stuff.

"By going through the system, those of us who’ve done it, we know better than anybody”

Thomas had acted on the ABC Theater stage long before his political career came crashing down. Bean contacted him in prison to propose the play. Both men agree that Thomas has become a better actor since the previous run of “Reflections.” He's had more experience. He played the autobiographical role of a Crescent City councilman with a penchant for horse racing in the HBO television series “Treme.” In 2011, a judge forbade Thomas from gambling during his probation, considering it a contribution to his downfall.

“Anthony told me a long time ago,” Thomas said. “He said, 'You used to act from the outside in.' He said, ‘Use your pain to understand that acting comes from your gut.' And he’s right.”

Thomas said that the tenor of his performance may have changed a bit because the pain of the situation has faded. During the first run, Bean said, the disgraced politician was prone to break down during rehearsals.

“Rehearsals used to be hard the first time,” Thomas agreed. “I’m talking about moments man, and crying. It was fresh in my mind. … At that time it was tough, because I would be onstage thinking about those things; what my family went through, the struggles, (of my) not being here.”

But these days, life is mellower.

“I’m doing fine. I’m doing fine, man,” Thomas said. “I’ve been extremely blessed to be able to act out my life and maybe help others. The artistry and brilliance of working with Anthony is that we can get to tell stories of human triumph and how you can overcome almost anything.”

But even as his life has improved, Thomas’s concerns about Crescent City inequity continues to color his worldview and the play. The hopeless young men that Thomas met in prison still haunt him. They remain an important part of the drama. One of his ongoing disappointments, he said, is observing “some of the realities in my city right now, almost four years later (after the original production); you know, the things that I see in terms of what’s happening with young men, the violence here, poverty in the African-American community. It’s two trains that are on two different tracks. Some people see how wonderful the city is and I see that, too, but I still see my community on another track, going in another direction.”

Bean pointed out that in addition to his acting opportunities, Thomas appears on a morning radio forum on WBOK 1230 AM, and many of the people of New Orleans continue to admire him.

“Reflections2,” is “not just a Greek tragedy,” Bean said. “In a sense there’s a whole other something developing that I think is going to be important to the public, because we all have situations that happen to us. Do we just lay there? This (play) is going to show you that you can get up, you can move on and God bless you.”

In Bean’s view, even a return to his previous proferssion isn’t out of the question for Thomas.

“Will he ever run again?” Bean asked rhetorically. “People would love to see the man as mayor of the city. He’s not saying this, but I’m telling you what the people are saying.”